1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a system for managing an vehicle impounding facility, such as for example may be operated by or on behalf of a municipality. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to such a system that manages auctioning particular ones of the vehicles in the facility upon the occurrence of appropriate circumstances.
2. Description of Related Art
Many municipalities, other governmental agencies, and the like operate vehicle impounding facilities or the like, or have such facilities operated on their behalf, as may be appreciated. Typically, although by no means necessarily, a facility or the like (hereinafter, ‘facility’) is employed by a municipality or the like (hereinafter, ‘municipality’) to hold and/or store automobiles, trucks, and other vehicles (hereinafter, ‘vehicles’) that have been taken into custody by the municipality, for any of a variety of reasons. The reasons for such custody of such a vehicle may include but are not limited to: un-paid parking or moving violations associated with the vehicle, the vehicle has been employed in the commission of a crime, the vehicle has been involved in a traffic accident, the vehicle has been abandoned, the vehicle has been improperly left in a restricted area, the vehicle has been moved during an emergency, and the like.
In any case, once such a vehicle is in the custody of the municipality, such municipality is typically required to take a certain amount of care with respect to the vehicle, including being able to locate the vehicle and taking reasonable steps to protect the vehicle. Accordingly, the municipality operates as the facilities one or more impound lots or the like within which the vehicle is stored or ‘impounded’. Typically, although not necessarily, the vehicle remains impounded until the municipality no longer requires possession of the vehicle. Thus, it may be that the vehicle is eventually released to an owner thereof or the like (hereinafter ‘owner’), perhaps upon payment of appropriate fines, penalties, storage costs, and/or the like, and upon the owner establishing a claim to the vehicle.
Notably, though, it may be that the owner of the vehicle never claims the impounded vehicle and/or never makes payment for the impounded vehicle, among other things. In such a case, the municipality eventually begins a process where the non-claimed and still impounded vehicle is auctioned. In doing so, the municipality can be removed from the possession of and responsibility for the non-claimed vehicle, and also can re-coup at least some of the costs associated with impounding the vehicle, among other things.
As may be appreciated, the municipality cannot merely auction the non-claimed vehicle at will. Instead, the municipality typically follows a process both to give the owner of the vehicle a reasonable amount of time to claim the vehicle, and to establish the right to auction the vehicle, perhaps as shown by an appropriate title document for the vehicle. Accordingly, the auction process does not begin until a reasonable amount of time after the vehicle has been impounded, perhaps 21 or 30 days. Likewise, it may be that the municipality must perform reasonable attempts to locate and inform the owner regarding the non-claimed vehicle. Also, it may be that the municipality must apply for and receive the aforementioned title document for the vehicle.
As may be appreciated, such an overall impounding and auctioning enterprise can quickly become highly complicated and confusing, particularly as the number of impounded vehicles increases and as the auctioning process becomes detailed. Accordingly, a need exists for a computerized vehicle impound system designed to effectively manage vehicle impoundment for a municipality, and to eliminate problems and confusion associated with vehicle impound management. Notably, a need exists for such a vehicle impound system that can track and control each impounded vehicle in the possession of a municipality, from impoundment until disposition, be it by way of reclamation, auctioning, or the like. Likewise, a need exists for such a vehicle impound system that guides each non-claimed vehicle through the auction process. Moreover, a need exists for such a vehicle impound system that provides information on each impounded vehicle to qualified individuals.